Apparatus iob compbessing



Dec. 15, 1925.

L. R. BRUNDAGE APPARATUS Pon COMPRESSING AND ASSEMBLING COIL SPRINGS Filed DeC. 5, 1924 fnvenfo@ Patented Dec. 15, 1925.

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Toall whom it may concern.' y

Be it known that I, Lnsnm R. BRUNDAG'E, a citizen of the United States, and a'resident of Chicago, in the`county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in A paratus for Compressing and Assembling oil Springs,

' of which invention the following is a specification. l

In the manufacture of mattresses, seatin s and cushions of various kinds metal coil springs have come to be used in place of the heavy, more expensive, and less sanitary pads of felt and the like, the springs being covered with relatively thin padding. To insure evenness in the spring expansion, that is, to roduce a suitably uniform surface over t e whole series of spring units, and to guard against displacement, each of the coils is com ressed and inserted in a separate pocket, 1n a strip made of muslin or the like, containing a series of these pockets These strips are then jointed together to make up the desired area of compressible surface for the mattress'or article eing manufactured. The material of which the pockets are made allows the coil springs within same to be compressed in use, but provides a uniform limit against excessive ex ansion or displacement.

Hereto ore in this manufacturing business the individual springs after being formed, cut off and dropped from the coiling machines, have been put through the further assemblin operation by rather necessarily slow han labor. The coils are passed onto a table, where they frequently become badly tangled and mixed up, and require separation. Then the operatorV compresses each one and inserts it in the pocket. Very often the coil will fly out of the operatorsy hands. As the coiling machine generallyv forms and cuts off the completed co1ls at the rate of about 45 per minute, it has been necessary to provide a number of operators to perform the further hand operations to keep up with the coiler. Even when the operators become experienced and skilled, it usually requires about six girls to do this work besides the operator at the coiling machine.

The object of my invention is to simplify and improve these manufacturing operations and to very considerably reduce costs by speeding u the assembling and employing much less abor. I accom ish these results by providing the herein escribed apparavor outer end is marked c3 and e4. rIhis tus, which is simple, light and low in cost to construct andoperate, to do what now requites so much` more handlabor.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of `this specification,- and `1n which like letters of reference refer to similar parts in the several figures, Fig. 1 is a top plan view; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2- -2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the guides for adjusting the spindle opening through Which the springs are fed according to different dimensions of coils. And Fig. 4 is a more enlarged detail sectional view of the spindle end of the apparatus.

In the drawings a1 indicates any suitable table top, a2 marks the side frames and as the legs. The table frame also serves to support the shafts b1 of the conveying mechanism. b2, bs and b4 are suitable gears, over which travels a suitable conveyor chain 01; and c2 marks a power driving means for drivingthe conveyor.

`Spaced apart on the conveyor chain 01 there is mounted a series of pegs, which are here marked separately from d1 to ain.

Mounted on one end of the table is what I term the inclined compressing guide and feeding spout. The guide is preferably made in two similar halves, positioned on opposite sides of the line of travel of the conveyor pegs. The inclined guides are marked respectively, @land e2. The lower ortion of the respective guide members an the inclined end may be made in one integral metal strip, or in separate pieces, as desired. These outer guide ends e8 and e4 are spaced apart from the table top, or extension therefrom, as well as spaced from each other, to form the spout or openin e, through which the compressed spring coils are fed forward to the stri pockets. The spacing distance is regulated according to the size of the coils and extent to which the coils are to be compressed.

The springs s are taken from the coiler, or machine on which they are formed from the wire, as that machine cuts off the formed spring. There are various coilers in use, but none of the detailsthereof are here shown. My new assembling apparatus is preferably timed to o erate at the same speed as the coiler, usua ly about 45 per minute; and it may be so connected that the formed springs drop from the coiler'to the first conveyor Sti peg. owever, the coiler has to be watched to kee same properly operating and there may be some s rings cut olf which for one reason or anot 'er are' defective and should not be used. It is preferable, therefore, to have the cpiler boy take each spring as it is cut off an drop same over the conveyor peg, throwin aside any spring which is defective. i

The coiler forms the spring wife into the desired dimension 'hf coil, and as they come from the coiler same can spring to their fully extended size. In Fig. 2 an extended spring s is shown dropped loosely over the first peg d1. As the conveyor c1 carries the pegs forward the pegs pass in the open top channel formed by the spacing between the guides e1 and o2. This space is suicient to allow the pegs to travel freely but is less than the dimension of the spring coils. When the pegs move forward the inclined guides e1 and e2 gradually compress the springs carried by the pegs. In Fig. 2 the spring on peg is is shown as just starting to be compressed. As its peg moves forward the inclined guides gradually increase the compression. When moved forward to the position of peg Z4 the coil is partly compressed, and at the bottom of the incline it is fully compressed. Here the compressed coil is passed into what I call the spout e", and from the spout they are fed into the pockets, which are held over the open end of the spout. f

As the springs are moved foryvard into the spout e the respective conveying peg 1s withdrawn from the inside of the coil. This may be accomplished by arranging the conveyor c1 for travel over gears as shown in Fig. 2, where between the gears bs and b4 the conveyor moves in a straight line. The shaft carrying the gear b2, however, is positioned at a lower level, and the conveyor` chain c1 in traveling from the idling gear t4 to the gear b2 is on a suitable incline which gradually lowers and ultimately brings the pegs below the line of the table top and withdraws the peg from the coil. The peg d5 is shown nearly withdrawn, while peg da is fully withdrawn and will pass under the table, advancing to the position shown by the pegs d? to du and around again to the position di.

As the springs enter the spout eB and are fully compressed and their carrying pegs withdrawn the compressed coils touch each other as shown and the entering coil pushes or feeds the others ahead and out the end of the spout e5. The operator holds the pocket, having an opening into which the spring is lnserted, over the end of the spout, and then the springs are free to again expand, but only to the extent allowed by the size of the pocket. These so-called pockets are usually made of muslin or like material and nerally sewed in strips. In Fi 1, the otted outline f1, f', f and f mar s a series of pockets in such a strip, the open end of the pocket being slipped over the spout end and rea y to receive a spring coil.

The two sides of the compressing guides e1 e may be fastened to the table by screws, as indicated in Fig. 1. Where the channel through which the springs are fed forward on the pegs approaches the spout end, I prefer to provide an additional adjustable guide piece on each side. These are here marked e and e7. Fig. 3 is a separate detail view of one-of these adjustable guide pieces.- These may have two slots as shown, in which set screws pass to fasten the piece to the table, the slots permitting the guide pieces to be moved for adjustment of distance between the guides according to the different dimension coil being run, and then the guides are fastened.

To protect theoperator from the traveling pegs any suitable shield or guard, marked h may be provided.

Various changes may be made in the conlstruction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, while I prefer the sprocket gear and chain conveyor, I also contemplate the use of suitable rollers and belt conveyor.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following.

Claims:

1. All apparatus of the character described comprising a plurality of pegs for carrying the coil springs, a conveyor on which the pegs are mounted, a supporting member, means for driving the conveyor,

v an inclined guide for compressing the spring coilswhile same are being moved 'forward on thev pegs, a spout into which the compressed coils are forced for feeding into the spring containing pockets, and the conveyor so arranged in the line of travel that 'the pegs carried thereby are withdrawn after the spring coils are compressed and passed into the spout.

2. A machine for the purpose described comprising in combination a supporting member, conveying mechanism mounted in said supporting member, means for driving said conveyor mechanism, a series of pegs spaced apart and traveling with the conveyor for carrying the spring coi1s,guide members in the line of travel adapted to compress the coils as same move forward on the pegs, a discharge end into which the coils are passed after compression and thepegs withdrawn therefrom, the said discharge end arranged to hold'j the coils under compression while therein and having an opening through which the coils are fed into the4 receiving pockets.

3. A. machine for the purpose described comprising in combination a series of pegs for carrying the coil springs, a conveyor chain on which the pegs are secured, a supporting frame and means'for mounting t e conveyor mechanism thereupon, means for driving the conveyor mechanism, an inclined so arranged that the coils are freed fromA the pe s afterentering the feed spout substantia ly as set forth.

4. A machine for the urposedescribed comprising in combination a sup ortingframe, a travelingv conveyor mec anism mounted in said supporting frame, means for driving said conveyor mechanism, a

series of pe s spaced apart on and traveling with tige conveyor for carrying the spring coils, an inclined member on each side of the line of travel spaced apart to permit the pegs to travel but-extendingwo\'fer and adapted to compress the coil gradually as same move forward un er the inclined members, a discharge end into which the coils are forced after being compressed and the pegs withdrawn therefrom, adjustable means for regulating the passage to the discharge end according to variation in size of coils, the discharge end being arranged to retain the coils under compression and having an opening through which the coils-are fed into the receiving pockets,

substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

LESLIE R. BRUN DAGE. 

